Film-feeding mechanism.



H. M. CONNOR &D. 0. MILES.

FILM FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 30,1917.

Patented Aug. 27, 1918;

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APPLICATION FILED JULY 30.1911.

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ED" STATES PA OFFICE.

HERSCHEL M. CONNOR AN DON D. MILES, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNORS TO SAFETYGRAPH EDUCATIONAL FILM COMPANY, INC., OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALI- FORNIA, A CORPORATION OF NEVADA.

FILM-FEEDING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 27, 1918.

Application filed July 80, 1917. Serial No. 188,523.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HERSCHEL M. CON- NOR and Don D. MILES, citizens of the United Stat-es,flresiding at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Film Feeding Mechanisms; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such .as will enable others skilled in the art to which it apfully hereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which like numeralsdesignate like parts in all the views Figure 1 is a diagrammatic elevational view partially broken away of a ower transmitting means suitable for this invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the .parts shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in he direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail view taken on the line 44 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 taken on pinion 12 likewise meshing with the gear 7 and said shaft 12 further carries the cam 13 as shown.

Mounted between the cams 10 and 13, and in constant contact therewith is the roller 14 mounted as at -15 to one end of a lever 16 which is pivoted as at 17. ,At the other end said lever is pivoted as at 19 to the link 20, pivoted as at 21 to the stud 22, carried by the film movin member 23, provided with the film engaging studs 24, all as will be clear from Figs. 2, 3 and 4.

The said pivot member or stud 17 on which the lever 16 is mounted is preferably provided with a tofsion spring 25 which serves to prevent c ash and wear and to render the movement of the parts more and preferably to one of the extensions 31,

as at 32 is the link member 33, pivoted as at the line 5-5 of Fig. 1, also looking in the direction of the arrows,

1 indicates any suitable framework, 2 a power shaft mounted therein provided with a crank 3, 4 a gear rigid with the shaft 2, 5 a second shaft mounted in said framework,

provided with the inion 6 rigid therewith,

and meshing with t e gtear 4, and 7 is agear mounted on said she and meshing with the pinion 8 carried by 'the shaft 9 on which is mounted the cam 10. Also mounted in the framework is a shaft 11 carrying the- 34 to the curved oscillating member 35, pivoted at one end as at 36 to the frame and carryin at its other end the roller 37 adapte to continuously engage the cam 38 mounted on the shaft 11 as best shown in Figi 5.

ounted on the. pivot member 36 is a torsion spring 40, (see Fig. 3), which serves to maintain the roller 37 normally in contact with the cam 38 and to aid in securing the smooth and certain action of the arts.

Secured to the frame 1 is a em r 43 to which is hinged, as at 44, t e film accommodating gate 45 in which is located the film 46 provided with the usual marginal perforations. adapted to accommodate the pins or lugs 24 as plainly shown in Fig. 3.

Said gate or door 45 is provided with an suitable optical opening 47 through which light may pass and which is governed by a suitable shutter mechanism not shown. The plate like member 43 is preferably provided with the slots 48 in WhlCh the pins 24 are adapted to reciprocate in moving the film, asbest shown in Fig. 1. r

50 represents any suitable sprocket wheels adapts to move and guide the film after it leaves the pins 24, and 51 represents additional sprocket wheels adapted to move and guide other portions of the film afterthey pass reels and other mechanism not 1llustrated. 52 represents a fly wheel.

The operation of the above described mechanism will be clear from the foregoing but may be briefly summarized as follows Power being imparted through the crank 3 to the shaft 2, and gear 4, the said gear meshing with the pinions 6 turns the gear 7, and the latter meshing with the pinions 8 and 12 turn the cams 10 and 13 1n synchronism with each other,

The said cams are so proportioned and so adjusted that they thus positively at all times contact with the roller 14, and consequently, they swing the lever 16 on its pivot 17. and continuously move the link 20 up and down. The said link member 20 being pivoted at 21 to the lug 22, the said lug and film engaging member 23 and teeth 24 continuously reciprocate up and down as will be clear from the drawings.

In the meantime, the roller 37 is held in continuous contact with its cam 38 through the agency of the spring and consequently this said cam being properly proportioned and adjusted, the link 33 continuously reciprocates the guide loop member 30 in a direction at right angles to the motions of the lug 22 andmember 23.

In other words, the parts are so proportioned and disposedthat the said member 23 and teeth 24 will be first moved in an upward direction, 'as shown in the drawings,

- by the lever 16, or from its full line position the film 46 the said lever member 16 will to'its dotted line position, as seen in Fig. 4, whereupon the link members 35 and 33 will, through the oscillating member 30, then move the said film engaging member 23 and teeth 24 from the dotted line position shown in-Fig. 4 to the full line position shown in Fig.6 or into engagement with the film 46 as will be readily understood from the drawln s.

is soon as the teeth 24 have thus engagelti u the said teeth 24 in a downward direction, as seen in the drawings, and thus cause the film to be fed a predetermined distance downwardly. As soon as the lever 16 and link 20 have thus completed their downward motion the cam 38 will cause the members 35 and 33 to pull said teeth 24 out of the perforations with which the film 46 is rovided,

and thus restore the parts to the fu 1 line po- 37 are always in contact with their cams, and since the gearing is such that it may be turned in either direction, that by reversing the crank 3, the film may be readily fed backward or in either direction. It should also be observed that the conjugate cams 10 and 13 are so designed as to cause a complete movement of the lever 16 and film moving members 23 in either direction, in one eighth of a revolution of the crank 3, while other movements of this nature with which we are familiar require one quarter or even one sixth .of a revolution to actuate the film. In other words it will now be clear that seven eighths of the period of the cycle in our mechanism is employed in the exposure and only one eighth in the change from one picture to another on the screen, so that we effect an exceptionally long period of exposure and an exceptionally short period of change from one picture to another of the film with the result that our pictures are exceptionally brilliant and free from flickerings when projected. In addition to this, our relatively long period of exposure enables us to produce better pictures when the light is poor than is possible with shorter exposure periods. The foregoing are important features of this invention.

Another important feature of our invention resides in the fact that our film feeding mechanism differs from prior movements in the following particulars. In the rior mechanisms with which we are acquainted the film actuating member is at rest except at the film movin instant, when it is moved with a shock. 11 our movement, on the other hand, the film moving member 23 may be said to be moved without any shock at all for the rollers 14 and-37 are always in contact with their'continuously moving cams, and therefore, the movement of said member 23 from, a state of rest is effected positively and with substantially no shock at all. In other words, in the prior mechanisms it has been necessary even where the film feeding member has been actuated by a cam or other moving part. in constant motion to make the said film actuating member of a light construction in order that the inertia that must be overcome by the shock of starting will not cause an excessive clash and wear of the parts. In our mechanism, on the other hand, owing to the positive drive of the roller 14, we are enabled to make all the parts of comparatively heavyand generous proportions. In other words, it will now be easily perceived that our film feeding member 23 moves up and down and in and out in the right cadence, and therefore, substantially no shock or clash or wear is experienced.

It is obvious that those skilled in the ant may vary the details of construction as well as the arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention. and

I so

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therefore, we do not wish to be limited to the above disclosure except as may be required by the claims.

What we claim is 2-- 1. In a film feeding mechanism the com-.

ber; a third cam rotating with one of said first named cams; and connections between said third cam and said film feeding member, adapted to reciprocate the latter in opposite directions at an angle to said first mentioned directions," substantially as described.

2. In a film feeding mechanism the combination of a pair of conjugate cams; means comprising a gear wheel for continuously rotating said cams in the same direction; a member comprising a roller in continuous contact with the surfaces of said cams; a film feeding member positively reciprocated in opposite directions bysaid first named member; a third cam rotating with one of said first named cams; and connections comprising a pair of pivoted parts joined by a link between said third cam and said film feeding member adapted to reciprocate the latter in opposite directions at an angle to saidfirst mentioned directions, substantially v as described.

3. In a film feeding mechanism the combination of a film engaging member; a pair ofcams and connections to positively recip: rocate said member in opposite directions; and means comprising a cam to positively reciprocate said member in directions at an an le' to said first named directions, substantia ly as described.

4. In a film feeding mechanism the combination of a film engaging member; a pair of conjugate cams; a single gear for continuously rotating said cams in the same direction; a roller in continuous engagement with said cams; lever and link connections between said roller and said film feeding member to reciprocate the latter in opposite directions; a third cam; a roller in continuous contact with said third cam; a ivoted guiding member in which. said film eeding member reciprocates; and connections between said guiding member and said last named roller adapted to move said guidin member and said film feedin member in irections at an angle with sai first named directions, substantially as described.

5. In a film feeding mechanism the combination of a film engaging member; a pair of. cams and connections to positively reciprocate saidmember in opposite directions; and means comprising a cam, a pivoted guiding member, a lever and a link connecting said guiding member and lever, to positively reciprocatesaid member in directions at an angle to said first named directions, substantially as described.

6. In a film feeding mechanism the combination of a framework; a train of gears mounted in said frame work; a hinged door member constituting a film guide provided with a light receiving aperturecarried by said framework; a film feeding member located below said aperture; a pair of cams continuously driven from said train of gears; a lever; a roller carried by said lever in continuous contact with said cams; 'a link connecting said film feeding member and said lever adapted to cause said member to move in opposite directions; a pivoted guide member in which said film feeding member reciprocates; and means for moving said film feeding memberand said guide across the path of its reciprocations immediately after each of said reciprocating movements takes place, substantially as described.

7. In a film feeding mechanism the combination of a framework; a train of gears mounted in said framework; a hinged door member constitutin a film guide provided with "a light receiving aperture carried. by said frameworka film feeding member located below said aperture; a pair of cams continuously driven in the samedirection from said train of gears; a lever; a roller carried by said lever in continuous contact withsaid cams; a link connecting said film feeding member and said lever adapted to-100 cause said member to move in oppositedirections along the path of movements of the film; a pivoted guide member in which said film feeding member reciprocates; and

means comprising a continuously rotating cam and connections for moving said film feeding member and said guide in a direction across the path of movement of said film after each of said reciprocating movements, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures', in presence of two witnesses.

Witnesses:

F. G. ANDREWS, D. F. MCGRAW. 

